Staff

Grace Erway is a Paralegal on the Afghan Arrivals Team in Kalamazoo. Originally from Kalamazoo, she recently graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology/Sociology from Kalamazoo College and is a proud beneficiary of the Kalamazoo Promise scholarship. In her time at Kalamazoo College she was able to study abroad in Costa Rica and write a research based undergrad thesis, on the history of white supremacy and its presence in migrant related law. In her free time she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, singing and bartending.

Hannah is originally from Nanping, China, but grew up in Iowa.  She received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Iowa.  In May of 2022, Hannah received her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law with a certificate in Child & Family Advocacy.  During her time in law school, she primarily focused her studies on family and child welfare law. Hannah served as a student clinician and as an intake coordinator for MSU's Chance at Childhood Clinic, where she advocated for children involved in the court system in a variety of different cases.

Jaimie Lerner is an attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. She works on the Detroit Front Door Team, handling a wide-range of cases before the Immigration Court, State Court, Federal Court, and federal agencies. Prior to joining MIRC in 2021, she served as an Attorney Advisor at the Detroit Immigration Court and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the New York Immigration Court, part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review. She received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. During law school, Jaimie served as a legal intern with the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington D.C., as well as a student clinician with the Immigration Justice Clinic and Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic for Cardozo in New York. As a law student, she was an Assistant Coach and prior competitor for the Cardozo Moot Court Team at the University of Oxford Media Law Competition in Oxford, England, examining international law and freedom of expression concerns.

Jo Pohl is a staff attorney in MIRC’s Unaccompanied Children program, where they focus on representing children in long term foster care. Jo graduated from Michigan State College of Law in 2021. While attending law school Jo held several internship positions at Justice for Our Neighbors, the University of Michigan Human Trafficking Clinic, the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and Legal Services of South Central Michigan. Additionally, Jo participated in various student organizations which represent interests they are passionate about, including the Lori E. Talsky Center for Human Rights of Women and Children and the Triangle Bar Association. Before their decision to pursue a legal career, Jo worked as a Refugee Resettlement Caseworker at Samaritas.

Júlia joined MIRC in 2023 as a Legal Assistant with the Immigration Court Helpdesk program. Being an immigrant from Brasil with Japanese grandparents, she is committed to standing in solidarity with all immigrants, especially those sidelined by the legal system. Júlia graduated with a B.A. in International Affairs from Eastern Michigan University, where she focused her studies in Latin American politics, human rights, and community-led development. After graduation, she collaborated on research for the non-profit International Samaritan and worked as a nanny. In her free time, Júlia enjoys reading, cooking with her friends, and doing nail art.

Katherine White joined Michigan Immigrant Rights Center in May of 2021. Previously, Katherine founded Immigrant Connection at City Life Church, a low-cost immigration law office, serving as the Executive Director and a Department of Justice Representative. She received her Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School and holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Human Rights from Grand Valley State University. She is based in MIRC's Grand Rapids office and is fluent in Spanish.

Lauren joined MIRC in January of 2022, and is a Supervising Program Coordinator for the Unaccompanied Children’s Team in Grand Rapids, MI. She recently graduated from Western Michigan University with a double major in Spanish and Political Science. She first worked at MIRC as an intern in 2018, before studying abroad for the following year in Cuba and New Zealand. Lauren is passionate about immigrant rights, and working to support immigrants in her community. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and skydiving. She is proficient in Spanish.

Lexi Andre joined MIRC’s Unaccompanied Children’s Program as a Staff Attorney in May 2021. She received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School where she served as a student attorney with the Human Trafficking Clinic and the Criminal Appellate Practice Clinic. She also interned for the Law Reform and Development Commission of Namibia, International Service for Human Rights, and the Family Law Project. Lexi also attended University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree in Classical Languages and Literatures with a minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

Lisset is a legal assistant for our Unaccompanied Children’s Program in the Ypsilanti Office. Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, she is a compassionate youth’s advocate and parent educator with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Lisset has facilitated individual and group workshops to educate caregivers on child development and cultivating positive, respectful and intentional parent-child relationships. As part of her role, she is committed to promote culturally-sensitive trauma-informed practices and its application for the care of immigrant and refugee youth and their families.

Magid Shaibi is a Law Graduate with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center’s Unaccompanied Children’s team in Ypsilanti. Magid studied Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and earned his law degree from The University of Toledo College of Law.

Mariana Santos is a Paralegal for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors on the Unaccompanied Children Team in Grand Rapids. She recently graduated from Aquinas College with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in legal studies. Mariana was born in the Grand Rapids, but was brought up in the Wyoming area. Mariana has always had a passion for immigrant rights and social justice issues. She has been dedicated to helping out the community by interning at Immigrant Connection at City Life Church in GR and served as a Diversity Assistant during her time at Aquinas. Her goal is to eventually become an immigration attorney herself. Mariana is also a Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited Representative.